Systems and methods for tracking pharmaceuticals within a facility

ABSTRACT

A medication-dispensing unit is provided for tracking medical products having a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag uniquely associated therewith. The dispensing unit includes compartments for receiving medical products therein, and readers for reading the RFID tags associated with the medical products in the compartments. A processor is coupled to the readers for receiving and processing readings of the RFID tags in the compartment to identify the medical products in the compartments. The processor may identify a medical product removed from a compartment by determining a difference between readings of the RFID tags in the compartment taken before and after the medical product is removed from the compartment. The processor may verify that the medical product removed from the compartment is authorized to be removed or confirm that an identified patient is intended to receive the medical product being removed from the compartment.

This application is a divisional of co-pending application Ser. No.10/085,472 filed Feb. 26, 2002, the disclosure of which is expresslyincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods fordispensing medical products, and more particularly to systems andmethods for tracking and/or monitoring removal of medical products froma medication-dispensing unit and/or for inventorying amedication-dispensing unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In healthcare facilities, e.g., hospitals, medical products prescribedto patients may be temporarily stored in medication-dispensing units.Typically, a healthcare facility has one or more medication-dispensingunits located on each floor and/or nursing station of the healthcarefacility for storing medical products prescribed to patients on thatfloor. Each of the medication-dispensing units may include lockablestorage compartments to limit access of the medical products containedtherein to authorized healthcare workers. Controlled substances, such asmorphine, may be segregated into individual storage compartments in amedication-dispensing unit to control access to these substances.

A healthcare worker, e.g., nurse, may log onto a medication-dispensingunit before administering medical products to patients. In order toauthenticate the healthcare worker logging on, the dispensing unit mayrequire the healthcare worker to scan an identification badge.Alternatively, the healthcare worker may gain access to the medicalproducts in the dispensing unit with an electronic or manual key. Oncelogged on, the healthcare worker may pull up a list of patients assignedto him or her, including the medical products to be administered to thepatients. The healthcare worker may then remove the medical productsidentified in the list of patients from the dispensing unit. In afurther alternative, the dispensing unit may automatically grant thehealthcare worker access to one or more individual storage compartmentsincluding medical products.

The inventory of medical products in a medication-dispensing unit may bemonitored manually by requiring healthcare workers logged onto thedispensing unit to perform inventory checks of medical products in thedispensing unit, e.g., by counting the quantities of the medicalproducts in the dispensing unit. The healthcare workers may thenmanually report their inventory checks to the dispensing unit, e.g., byentering inventory counts into the dispensing unit with a keypad orother input device. The healthcare workers may perform the manualinventory checks before and/or after removing medical products from thedispensing unit.

One problem with a manual approach for monitoring the inventory ofmedical products in a dispensing unit is that it relies on the accuracyof healthcare workers to manually check and report the inventory ofmedical products in the dispensing unit, which introduces human error.Another problem with a manual approach is that it may not prevent adishonest healthcare worker from removing one or more unauthorizedmedical products, e.g., a controlled substance, from the dispensingunit. When this occurs, an unauthorized removal of a medical product maynot be detected until another healthcare worker performs an inventorycheck of the medical product in the dispensing unit and detects adiscrepancy. In this case, the healthcare worker detecting thediscrepancy may report it to a healthcare administrator so that theadministrator may investigate the discrepancy, e.g., by tracking downall of the healthcare workers that have logged onto the dispensing unitwithin a certain period of time. A problem with this approach is that afew days may pass before the unauthorized removal is detected, making itdifficult to track down all of the healthcare workers. This may beespecially troublesome if some of the healthcare workers are roamingnurses who only occasionally visit the healthcare facility in question.

Accordingly, automated systems and methods for tracking and/ormonitoring removing medical products from a medication-dispensing unitwould be considered useful.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to systems and methods for monitoringor inventorying medical products within a healthcare facility, e.g., ahospital. This may include systems and methods for monitoring medicalproducts entering and/or leaving a pharmacy, for dispensing medicalproducts from a medication-dispensing unit, and/or for deliveringmedical products to individuals within the facility.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an apparatus isprovided for tracking medical products, each of the medical productshaving a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag uniquely associatedtherewith. The apparatus includes a casing including one or morecompartments for receiving one or more medical products therein. One ormore readers are provided for reading the RFID tags associated with themedical products in the compartment. For example, a single reader mayread the RFID tags of all of the medical products in the casing, or oneor more readers may be provided for each compartment.

A processor is coupled to the reader for receiving and processingreadings of the RFID tags in the compartment to identify the medicalproducts in the compartment. The processor may identify a medicalproduct removed from the compartment by determining a difference betweenreadings of the RFID tags in the compartment taken before and after themedical product is removed from the compartment. Optionally, theprocessor may verify that the medical product removed from thecompartment is authorized to be removed, e.g., by comparing a productidentifier associated with the RFID tag of the removed medical productto a product identifier of a medical product authorized to be removedfrom the compartment. The product identifier may include at least one ofa product name, a product serial number, a product lot number, and apatient identifier.

The apparatus may also include a display coupled to the processor fordisplaying a mismatch notification on the display when the processordetects a mismatch between the product identifier read from the RFID tagof the removed medical product and the product identifier of the medicalproduct authorized to be removed. Optionally, the apparatus may includean input device coupled to the processor for identifying a patient to beassociated with one or more medical products being removed from thecompartment.

The apparatus may also include a return compartment for returning unusedmedical products, and a reader for reading an RFID tag of any returnedmedical product placed in the return compartment, the processor coupledto the reader for identifying the returned medical product.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method isprovided for monitoring removal of medical products stored in amedication-dispensing unit, each of the medical products comprising aRadio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag uniquely associated therewith.The RFID tags of the medical products in an individual compartment or inthe dispensing unit may be read before removing one or more medicalproducts from the dispensing unit. One or more medical products may beremoved from the dispensing unit, and then the RFID tags of the medicalproducts remaining in the individual compartment or dispensing unit maybe read after the one or more medical products are removed from thedispensing unit. A difference between the readings of the RFID tagstaken before and after the one or more medical products are removed fromthe dispensing unit may be determined to identify the one or moremedical products removed from the dispensing unit.

Optionally, the dispensing unit may automatically verify that the one ormore medical products removed from the dispensing unit are authorized tobe removed from the dispensing unit. For example, a product nameidentified by an RFID tag removed from the dispensing unit may becompared with a product name authorized to be removed from thedispensing unit. In addition or alternatively, a patient may beidentified, and a product name identified by the RFID tag removed fromthe dispensing unit may be compared with a list of medical productsscheduled for deliver to the identified patient.

In another option, the dispensing unit may transmit an inventory noticefrom the dispensing unit when a quantity of RFID tags stored within thedispensing unit falls below a threshold and/or to provide a currentinventory of the contents of the dispensing unit.

In yet another option, a medical product may be returned to thedispensing unit, and the RFID tags of the medical products in thedispensing unit may be read before and after the medical product isreturned to the dispensing unit. A difference between the readings ofthe RFID tags taken before and after the medical products are returnedto the dispensing unit may be used to identify the medical productreturned to the dispensing unit. In addition, an intended patient forthe returned medical product may be identified, and a notice may besent, e.g., to a pharmacy, doctor, administrator, and the like, that theintended patient did not receive the returned medical product.

It will be appreciated that any of these procedures, e.g., identifyingmedical products removed or returned to a dispensing unit, inventoryingcontents, and/or identifying intended patients, may be performedseparately from one another or together.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, anapparatus is provided for monitoring administration of medical productsto a patient, each of the medical products including a Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) tag for storing data related to the respectivemedical product. The apparatus includes a reader for substantiallysimultaneously reading RFID tags associated with a plurality of medicalproducts to obtain the data stored in the RFID tags, and a processorcoupled to the reader for comparing the data obtained from the RFID tagswith data associated with a patient to verify that the patient isintended to receive the medical products. In a preferred embodiment, thereader is an antenna in a read pad for reading the RFID tags associatedwith the medical products when the medical products are placed in closeproximity to the read pad, e.g., when the medical products are placed ona surface of the read pad.

Optionally, the apparatus may include an output device coupled to theprocessor; the processor activates the output device when the processordetects a mismatch between the data obtained from the RFID tags and thedata associated with the patient.

During use, one or more medical products may be placed in closeproximity to a RF antenna, e.g., the reader, and the Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) tags associated with the medical products may beread using the RF antenna to obtain the data stored in the RFID tags.Each of the plurality of medical products may be identified based uponthe data obtained from the RFID tags. Optionally, data associated with apatient may be accessed, and the processor or a computer devicecommunicating with the processor may verify that the patient is intendedto receive the medical product by comparing the data obtained from theRFID tag with the data associated with the patient.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom consideration of the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows a delivery device including an RFID tag, in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 1B shows a medical container including an RFID tag, in accordancewith the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a system for tracking and monitoringmedical products, in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart, showing a method for tracking the inventory ofmedical products in a pharmacy, in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of a medication-dispensing unit, inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart, showing a method for verifying that amedication-dispensing unit receives medical products, in accordance withthe present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart, showing a method for verifying that a healthcareworker only removes medical products from the dispensing unit that he orshe is authorized to remove, in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of a bedside terminal, in accordance with thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart, showing a method for verifying that a healthcareworker intends to administer the correct medical products to a patient,in accordance with the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides systems and methods for tracking andmonitoring medical products within a healthcare facility, e.g., ahospital, clinic, or the like. The medical products may includevaccines, pharmaceuticals, or other therapeutic or diagnostic agents.

The medical products may be placed in drug delivery devices, such assyringes or other injection devices. FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplarydrug delivery device 12 in the form of a syringe. Each of the drugdelivery devices 12 may contain a unit dose of the medical product, suchas a pre-filled syringe or ampoule. In addition, or alternatively, eachof the delivery devices 12 may include a holder (not shown) within whicha syringe or other medical cartridge may be received and/or a needleguard device (not shown) that may be attached to a syringe or medicalcartridge. In a further alternative, the medical products may be placedin medical containers, such as bottles, vials, IV bags, pouches, and thelike, or packaging (not shown) from which the medical products may beremoved and administered to patients. FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplarymedical container 15 in the form of a vial.

The medical products are tracked within the healthcare facility byattaching a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag 20 to each of thedelivery devices 12 and/or medical containers 15 containing the medicalproducts, as explained further below. FIGS. 1A and 1B show an exemplaryRFID tag 20 attached to a delivery device 12 and a medical container 15,respectively. Each of the RFID tags 20 includes a write/read memory (notshown) for storing information and a built-in antenna (not shown) forcommunicating with a RF reader/writer. A RF reader may include anantenna for reading information stored in the RFID tag 20, e.g., bytransmitting an RF interrogation signal to induce the RFID tag 20 totransmit its information to the RF reader, which is detected by theantenna. The RFID tag 20 may be active, i.e., powered by an internalpower source, or passive, i.e., powered by a RF signal transmitted fromthe RF reader.

The RFID tag 20 attached to each of the delivery devices 12, medicalcontainers 15, and/or packaging (not shown) stores information relatedto the medical product contained therein. The information in the RFIDtag 20 may include product information, such as a serial number and/or aNational Drug Code (NDC) associated with the medical product, a productname, a manufacture's name, a lot number, and/or an expiration date.Alternatively, the information in the RFID tag 20 may include a productidentifier uniquely associated with one or more entries in a databasethat may be accessed to obtain information related to the medicalproduct. The information in the RFID tag 20 may also include dosageinformation, identifying the amount and/or concentration of the medicalproduct, and/or a patient identifier identifying a patient intended toreceive the medical product. Other optional information may includeadministration requirements, instructions for use and/or productwarning, such as possible allergic reactions or adverse interaction ofthe product with other medical products. Other information that may bestored in the RFID tag 20 is given below. Information may be writteninto the RFID tag 20 by the manufacturer of the medical product and/orthe healthcare facility receiving the medical product. Some or all ofthe information in the RFID tag 20 may also be printed on the outersurface of the RFID tag 20 so that a healthcare worker may visually readthe information.

Each of the RFID tags 20 may be made thin and flexible, allowing theRFID tag 20 to be attached to a delivery device 12, medical container15, and/or packaging (not shown) so that it does not interfere withusing the delivery device 12 or medical container 15. For example, anRFID tag 20 may be affixed around the barrel of a syringe 12, asillustrated in FIG. 1A.

RFID tags 20 offer several advantages over conventional barcode tags.For example, a RF reader does not require a line of sight between itselfand a RFID tag 20 to read the information in the RFID tag 20. Inaddition, a RF reader may read many RFID tags 20 at a time, while abarcode reader or scanner can only read one barcode tag at a time.Furthermore, RFID tags 20 may be smaller, more accurate, more durable,and may be capable of storing more information than barcode tags.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system 110 for tracking andmonitoring medical products according to an exemplary embodiment of theinvention. The system 110 may be implemented at a healthcare facility,such as a hospital, a nursing home, a clinic, or the like.

The system 110 includes a healthcare management computer 115 and ahealthcare database 120. The healthcare management computer 115 managesand stores information related to the operation of the healthcarefacility in the healthcare database 120. The management computer 115 maybe a central computer and/or a network of computers and may or may notbe physically located on the premises of the healthcare facility. Thesystem 110 also includes a pharmacy terminal 130 coupled to a RFreader/writer 135 and a medication dispensing terminal 140 coupled to aRF reader 145. The system 110 further includes a bedside terminal 150coupled to a RF reader 155, which may be located at or near the bedsideof a patient (not shown). Each of the terminals 130,140,150 preferablyincludes a processor, memory, an input device, and an output device (allnot shown) for performing the tasks described below. In addition, eachof the RF readers 135,145,155 may be built into their respectiveterminal 130,140,150. Each of the terminals 130,140,150 may be linked tothe management computer 115 via communications links 160,165,170,respectively. The communications links 160,165,170 may be cable links,optical links, and/or wireless links, e.g., short-range RF links.Preferably, each of the terminals 130,140,150 may access patient and/ormedical product information stored in the healthcare database 120 viathe communications links 160,165,170.

The information stored in the healthcare database 120 may include apatient file uniquely associated with each individual patient admittedin the healthcare facility. Each of the patient files may include thepatient's name, address, social security number, and/or patient ID,which may be assigned to the patient upon admission to the healthcarefacility. Each of the patient files may also include the medicalproducts prescribed to the respective patient and/or a record of themedical products administered to the respective patient, including datesand time of administration, the healthcare who administered the medicalproducts, and the like. Each of the patient files may also include thecurrent location of the respective patient within the healthcarefacility, e.g., the floor and/or room number of the patient in thehealthcare facility. The information in the database 120 may furtherinclude insurance billing information for each individual patient,including the name, telephone number, billing address, and/or group IDof the patient's insurer. In addition, the information in the database120 may include a healthcare worker file associated with each individualhealthcare worker working at the healthcare facility. Each of thehealthcare worker files may include reports reflecting the workperformance of the healthcare worker, as explained further below.Additional information that may be stored in the database 120 is givenbelow.

Turning to FIG. 3, a method for tracking the inventory of medicalproducts in a pharmacy of the healthcare facility will now be describedaccording to an embodiment of the invention. The healthcare database 120in this embodiment includes a pharmacy inventory of the medical productsstored in the pharmacy.

In step 310, the pharmacy receives a shipment of medical products.Preferably, each of the medical products may be identified by an RFIDtag 20, which may be attached to a delivery device 12 and/or medicalcontainer 15 containing the medical product. Each of the RFID tags 20may include product information for the associated medical product,including a serial number and/or a NDC, the product name, themanufacturer's name, a lot number, and/or an expiration date.Alternatively, or in addition, each of the RFID tags 20 may include aproduct identifier uniquely associated with one or more entries in adatabase that may be accessed to obtain information related to theassociated medical product.

In step 320, the product information in the RFID tags 20 of the receivedmedical products is read into the pharmacy terminal 130 using the RFreader 135. In step 330, the pharmacy terminal 130 transmits the productinformation read from the RFID tags 20 of the received medical productsto the management computer 115 via the communications link 160. In step340, the management computer 115 uses the received information to updatethe pharmacy inventory in the database 120 accordingly. The pharmacyinventory may be updated to include the product name, amount, and/orexpiration date of each of the medical products received by thepharmacy.

In an optional step 350, the database 120 receives information of themedical products shipped to the healthcare facility from themanufacturer. This information may be downloaded into the database 120from a remote manufacturer database (not shown) via, e.g., an Internetlink, from a CD-ROM disc included with the medical product shipment, orthe like. The information of the medical products shipped to thehealthcare facility may include the serial number, NDC, and product nameof each of the medical products shipped to the healthcare facility.

In step 360, the management computer 115 compares the information of themedical products shipped to the healthcare facility with the informationreceived from the pharmacy terminal 130 to verify that all of themedical products shipped to the healthcare facility were received by thepharmacy. This comparison may be carried out, e.g., by having themanagement computer 115 compare the serial numbers of the medicalproducts shipped to the healthcare facility with the serial numbers readfrom the RFID tags 20 of the received medical products. If themanagement computer 115 detects a mismatch between the medical productsshipped to the healthcare facility and the medical products received bythe pharmacy in step 360, the management computer 115 may transmit anotification of the detected mismatch to the pharmacy terminal 130. Thenotification may then be displayed to a healthcare worker at thepharmacy, e.g., via a display (not shown) at the pharmacy terminal 130.The notification may include specific information of the mismatch, suchas the identity of any shipped medical products missing from thepharmacy.

In one embodiment, the management computer 115 automatically orders amedical product from a manufacturer and/or wholesaler when the amount ofthe medical product stored in the pharmacy 130 drops below apredetermined minimal level. This may be done, e.g., by having themanagement computer 115 monitor the amount of the medical product in thepharmacy using the pharmacy inventory in the database 120. When theamount of the medical product in the pharmacy inventory drops below theminimal level, the management computer 115 may place an electronic orderfor the medical product to a manufacturer computer, e.g., via anInternet link.

When a physician prescribes a medical product to a patient, theprescription is forwarded to the pharmacy, e.g., electronically or inthe form of a handwritten prescription. The prescription may include thefrequency, dosage, and duration that the medical product is to beadministered to the patient. The prescription may also be sent to themanagement computer 115 to be included in the associated patient file inthe healthcare database 120. A pharmacist at the pharmacy may preparethe prescribed medical product for administration to the patient inaccordance with the prescription. This may involve transferring and/oradmixing unit doses of the prescribed medical product from a bulkmedical container into separate delivery devices 12. Preferably, each ofthe delivery devices 12 has a RFID tag 20 attached thereon into whichinformation related to the medical product contained therein may bewritten using the RF writer 135. The written information may include theproduct name and dosage of the medical product in the delivery device,and/or the name, patient ID and/or the location of the patient intendedto receive the medical product. In addition, the written information mayinclude the identity of the pharmacist or other health care workerpreparing the medical product and/or the date and time that the medicalproduct was prepared.

Alternatively, or in addition, the prescribed medical product may beshipped to the pharmacy from the manufacturer in unit-dose deliverydevices 12 or medication containers 15, e.g., vials, bottles, bags, andthe like. In this case, the pharmacist may use the RF writer 135 towrite additional information into each of the RFID tags 20 attached tothe delivery devices 12 and/or medication containers 15, including thename, patient ID and/or location of the patient intended to receive themedical product. Optionally, individual delivery devices 12 and/ormedication containers 15 may be assigned to individual patients as theyare removed from a dispensing unit (not shown), as described furtherbelow.

After the medical product is prepared for the patient, the medicalproduct may be grouped with other prepared medical products fortransport to a medication-dispensing unit. As the medical products arewithdrawn from the pharmacy for transportation to themedication-dispensing unit, the information in the RFID tags 20 of themedical products may be read into the pharmacy terminal 130 using the RFreader 135. For example, all of the medical products may be identifiedby passing a cart or other device carrying the medical products intoclose proximity with the RF reader 135, thereby simultaneously readingall of the RFID tags 20 identifying the medical products. For example,the RF reader 135 may be mounted to a doorway of the pharmacy forautomatically reading the RFID tags 20 of the medical products as theyare withdrawn from the pharmacy. The pharmacy terminal 130 may alsoidentify the medication-dispensing unit intended to receive the medicalproducts. This may be done by having a healthcare worker manually enterthe identity of the dispensing unit into the pharmacy terminal 130,and/or reading a RFID tag identifying the dispensing unit using the RFreader 135. This may also be done by reading a patient identifier and/orlocation from the RFID tags 20 of the medical products into the pharmacyterminal 130 and having the pharmacy terminal 130 access a databasematching the patient identifier and/or location with an assigneddispensing unit. The pharmacy terminal 130 may also identify thehealthcare work transporting the medical products to the dispensingunit. This may be done by having the healthcare worker enter a codeand/or pin number uniquely associated with the healthcare worker intothe pharmacy terminal 130, and/or reading a RFID tag identifying thehealthcare worker using the RF reader 135.

The pharmacy terminal 130 may then transmit the information read fromRFID tags 20 of the medical products to the management computer 115 viathe communications link 160. The pharmacy terminal 130 may also transmitthe identity of the dispensing unit to receive the medical productsand/or the identity of the healthcare worker transporting the medicalproducts to the dispensing unit. The management computer 115 uses thereceived information to record the medical products being withdrawn fromthe pharmacy in the database 120 and to update the pharmacy inventory inthe database 120 accordingly. The record of the medical products beingwithdrawn from the pharmacy may include the product name and amount ofeach of the medical product being withdrawn. The record may also includethe date and time that the medical products are withdrawn from thepharmacy, the identity of the dispensing unit to receive the medicalproducts, and/or the identity of the healthcare worker transporting themedical products to the dispensing unit.

Medication-dispensing unit may be placed throughout the medical facilityfor temporarily storing medical products and for dispensing the medicalproducts to healthcare workers, e.g., nurses, assigned to administer themedical products to patients. Each of the medication-dispensing units,e.g., stationary medication stations and/or movable medication carts,may be located on the same floor, wing, and the like of the healthcarefacility as the patients intended to receive the medical products storedtherein.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary medication-dispensing unit 410 accordingto an embodiment of the invention. The dispensing unit 410 includes acasing 435 including one or more and preferably a plurality of storagecompartments 440 for storing medical products therein. Each of thestorage compartments 440 may store medical products for an individualpatient or for general use. The dispensing unit 410 may include lockabledoors for controlling access to the storage compartments 440.Alternatively, or in addition, the dispensing unit 410 may includelockable drawers that may be pulled out from the storage compartments440.

The dispensing unit further includes a medication dispensing terminal140 and a RF reader 145 (not shown in FIG. 4). The dispensing terminal140 further includes a display 420, e.g., a monitor, and an input device430, e.g., a touch screen or keypad, as illustrated in FIG. 4.

Preferably, the RF reader 145 is configured to read the RFID tags 20inside the storage compartments 440 of the dispensing unit 410. Toaccomplish this, the RF reader 145 may be made up of a plurality of RFreaders, each of the RF readers configured to read the RFID tags 20 inone of the storage compartments 440. Alternatively, a single RF readermay be used to read the RFID tags 20 of the entire contents of thedispensing unit 410.

Optionally, the dispensing unit 410 may include one or more returncompartments or bins (not shown) for unused medical products, asexplained further below. Each return bin may include a slot or drawer(not shown) for placing one or more medical products therein, e.g., suchthat the medical products cannot be removed from the return bin withoutgaining authorization to override a lock and open the return bin. Eachreturn bin may include a RF reader for reading the RFID tags of anyreturned medical products placed in the return bin, e.g., to inventoryreturned medical products. Alternatively, a single RF reader of thedispensing unit 410 may read any RFID tags of medical products in thereturn bin, along with the RFID tags of medical products in the othercompartments.

Turning to FIG. 5, a method for verifying that the medical productstransported to the dispensing unit 410 from the pharmacy are received bythe dispensing unit 410 is described according to a preferredembodiment. In this embodiment, the healthcare database 120 includes adispensing unit inventory of the medical products in the dispensing unit410.

In step 510, the dispensing terminal 140 reads the RFID tags 20 insidethe dispensing unit 410 before the dispensing unit 410 receives themedical products from the pharmacy. In step 520, a healthcare workerplaces the medical products from the pharmacy in the dispensing unit410. In step 530, the dispensing terminal 140 reads the RFID tags 20inside the dispensing unit 410 after the medical products are placed inthe dispensing unit 410. In step 540, the dispensing terminal 140identifies the medical products placed in the dispensing unit 410 bydetermining the difference between the RFID tag readings taken beforeand after the medical products are placed in the dispensing unit 410.Alternatively, the dispensing terminal 140 may transmit the RFID tagreadings to the management computer 115 so that the management computer115 may identify the medical products placed in the dispensing unit. Instep 550, the dispensing terminal 140 transmits information of themedical products received by the dispensing unit 410 to the managementcomputer 115 via the communications link 165. This information mayinclude the product information read from the RFID tags 20 of thereceived medical products. The management computer 115 uses theinformation received from the dispensing terminal 130 to update thedispensing unit inventory in the database 120 accordingly.

In step 560, the management computer 115 may verify that the dispensingunit 410 received all of the medical products withdrawn from thepharmacy for transport to the dispensing unit 410 by, e.g., comparingthe medical products received by the dispensing unit 410 with the recordof the medical products withdrawn from the pharmacy. If the managementcomputer 115 detects a mismatch between the medical products received bythe dispensing unit 410 and the medical products withdrawn from thepharmacy, the management computer 115 may transmit a notification of thedetected mismatch to the dispensing terminal 140 via communications link165. The dispensing terminal 140 may then notify the healthcare workerat the dispensing unit 410 of the mismatch, e.g., via the display. Thenotification may include specific information of the mismatch, such asthe identity of any medical products missing from the dispensing unit410. The dispensing terminal 140 may then give the healthcare worker anopportunity to correct the mismatch, e.g., by repeating the above steps520 through 560. The management computer 115 may include a report of themismatch in the associated healthcare worker file, including whether thehealthcare worker corrected the mismatch and/or specific information ofthe mismatch, such as the identity of missing medical products. If thehealthcare worker fails to correct the mismatch, the management computer115 may notify a healthcare administrator via a terminal display (notshown) linked to the management computer 115 so that the healthcareadministrator may take appropriate action.

In one embodiment, the management computer 115 periodically performs aninventory check of the medical products in the dispensing unit 410 todetect any unauthorized removal of medical products from the dispensingunit 410. The management computer 115 may check the inventory of thedispensing unit 410 by transmitting a request to the dispensing terminal130, via the communications link 160, to read the RFID tags 20 of themedical products inside the dispensing unit 410. After reading the RFIDtags 20, the dispensing terminal 130 may transmit information from theread RFID tags 20 to the management computer 115. The managementcomputer 115 may then compare the information from the read RFID tags 20with the dispensing unit inventory stored in the database 120. If themanagement computer 115 detects a mismatch, then the management computer115 may notify a healthcare administrator of the mismatch via a terminaldisplay (not shown) linked to the management computer 115. Thenotification may include the identity of any medical products missingfrom the dispensing unit 410. In a further embodiment, a healthcareworker at a terminal (not shown) linked to the management computer 115may remotely request the management computer 115 to perform an inventorycheck of the dispensing unit 410, e.g., to seek a dispensing unit for aneeded or missing medical product.

Turning to FIG. 6, a method for verifying that a healthcare worker,e.g., nurse, only removes those medical products from the dispensingunit 410 for the patients assigned to him or her will now be described.

In step 610, the healthcare worker may begin or resume a round, in whichhe or she is to administer medical products to patients assigned to himor her in the round. In step 620, the healthcare worker may log onto thedispensing terminal 140, e.g. by swiping an electronic card, by enteringa PIN number uniquely associate with the healthcare worker into theinput device, or by reading an RFID tag worn by the healthcare worker.In step 630, once the healthcare worker is logged on, he or she may pullup information of the patients assigned to him or her in the round,which is displayed on the display. The information may include thepatients' names and the medical products to be administered to thepatients in the round. The information may be preloaded in thedispensing terminal 140 or downloaded into the dispensing terminal 140from the associated patient files in the database 120 via thecommunications link 165.

In step 640, the healthcare worker removes the medical products to beadministered to the patients in the round from the dispensing unit 410.The healthcare worker may gain access to the medical products by havingthe dispensing unit 410 automatically open the doors to the storagecompartments 440 containing the medical products to be removed.Alternatively, the healthcare worker may use an electronic or manuallykey to gain access to the storage compartments 440 containing themedical products to be removed. In step 650, the dispensing terminal 140identifies the medical products removed from the dispensing unit 410 bythe healthcare worker. The dispensing terminal 140 may do this, e.g., byreading the RFID tags 20 inside the dispensing unit before and after thehealthcare worker removes the medical products from the dispensing unit410. The dispensing terminal 140 may then determine the differencebetween the two RFID tag readings to detect removal of the RFID tags 20,and consequently the medical products having the RFID tags 20, from thedispensing unit 410, and thereby identify the medical products removedfrom the dispensing unit 410.

In step 660, the dispensing terminal 140 may verify that the healthcareworker removed only those medical products that he or she was authorizedto remove. The dispensing terminal 140 may do this, e.g., by comparingthe medical products removed from the dispensing unit 410 with themedical products to be administered in the round. For example, thedispensing terminal 140 may compare the product names and/or dosages ofthe removed medical products with the product names and/or dosages ofthe medical products to be administered in the round. The dispensingterminal 140 may obtain the names and/or dosages of the removed medicalproducts from the RFID tag reading taken before the medical products areremoved from the dispensing unit 410. The product names and dosages ofthe medical products to be administered in the round may be downloadedfrom the associated patient files in the database 120. Alternatively, orin addition, the dispensing terminal 140 may compare the intendedpatients of the removed medical products with the patients to beadministered in the round.

If the dispensing terminal 140 detects a mismatch between the medicalproducts removed from the dispensing unit and the medical products to beadministered during the round, the dispensing terminal 140 may notifythe healthcare worker of the detected mismatch via the display 420.Alternatively, or in addition, the dispensing terminal 140 may notifythe healthcare worker using an audio indicator, e.g., buzzer, and/or avisual signal indicator, e.g., a flashing light. The dispensing terminal140 may provide the healthcare worker, via the display 420, with thespecifics of the detected mismatch, such as the identity of medicalproducts that the healthcare worker was not authorized to remove fromthe dispensing unit 410. The dispensing terminal 140 may then give thehealthcare worker an opportunity to correct the mismatch, e.g., byreturning an unauthorized medical product to the dispensing unit 410 andrepeating steps 640-650. The unauthorized medical product(s) may bereturned to the compartment(s) from which it(they) were removed, or maybe placed in a return bin, specifically intended for returned medicalproducts.

The dispensing terminal 140 may transmit information of the medicalproducts removed from the dispensing unit 410 to the management computer115 via the communications link 160. The information may include theproduct information and intended patients of the removed medicalproducts. The management computer 115 may use the received informationfrom the dispensing terminal 140 to update the dispensing unit inventoryin the database 120 accordingly. The received information may alsoinclude any detected mismatch that occurred during removal of themedical products from the dispensing unit 410. If a mismatch occurs, themanagement computer 115 may include a report of the mismatch in theassociated healthcare worker file, including specific information of themismatch and whether the healthcare worker corrected the mismatch. Sucha report may allow the healthcare facility administration to evaluatethe work performance and/or honesty of the healthcare worker.

After retrieving the medical products from the dispensing unit 410, thehealthcare worker may visit the patients assigned to him or her in theround to administer the medical products. While visiting each patient inthe round, the healthcare worker may administer the medical productsprescribed to that patient.

Each of the patients may be provided with a bedside terminal 150 forverifying that the patient receives the correct medical products duringthe round. FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary bedside terminal 150according to an embodiment of the invention. The bedside terminal 150may include a RF read pad 710 having a built-in RF reader 155 (not shownin FIG. 7), an input device 720, e.g., a keypad or a touch screen, andan output device 730, e.g., an LCD display, or a sound or visualindicator. The RF reader 150 may be configured to read the RFID tags 20of medical products placed onto the RF read pad 710. Alternatively, theRF reader 155 may be a separate device coupled to the bedside terminal150, e.g., via a direct or wireless link. For example, the RF reader 155may be a separate device located at an entrance, e.g., doorway, of apatient's room for automatically reading the RFID tags 20 of medicalproducts as a healthcare worker carrying the medical products enters thepatient's room.

Turning now to FIG. 8, a method for verifying that the healthcare workeradministers the correct medical products to a patient at the patient'sbedside will now be described.

In step 810, the bedside terminal 150 identifies the patient to beadministered the medical product. This may be done manually by havingthe healthcare worker enter patient identification information, e.g.,patient ID, into the bedside terminal 150 using a keypad. The patientidentification information may be provided to the healthcare worker by achart at the patient's bedside or a wristband worn by the patient.Alternatively, the patient identifier may be provided in a patient RFIDtag read by the RF reader 155 of the bedside terminal 150. The patientRFID tag may be attached to a chart or a wristband worn by the patient.In still another alternative, the patient identifier may be preloadedinto the memory of the bedside terminal 150.

In step 820, the healthcare worker takes out the medical products he orshe intends to administer to the patient. In step 830, the healthcareworker may read the RFID tags 20 of these medical products into thebedside terminal 150 using the RF reader 155. This may be done, e.g., byplacing the medical products in close proximity to the RF reader 155.Alternatively, the RF reader 155 may be located at an entrance, e.g., adoorway, of the patient's room for automatically reading the RFID tags20 of these medical products as the healthcare worker enters thepatient's room carrying these medical products.

In step 840, the bedside terminal 150 verifies that the patient presentis the correct patient to receive the medical products proposed by thehealthcare worker. The bedside terminal 150 may do this by comparing themedical product information read from the RFID tags 20 with informationof the medical products to be administered to the patient, which may bedownloaded to the bedside terminal 155 from the associated patient filein the database 120. The comparison may include comparing dosageinformation read from the RFID 20 tags with dosage information from theassociated patient file to confirm that the patient is receiving thecorrect dosage. Alternatively, or in addition, the bedside terminal 150may compare intended patient information, e.g., patient ID, read fromthe RFID tags 20 with the patient identifier in the bedside terminal150. The bedside terminal 130 may also check for any adverse druginteraction between the medical products brought for the patient andmedical products administered to the patient earlier by consulting adrug interaction database. The bedside terminal 130 may determine thatthe medical products should not be administered to the patient if itdetects a mismatch in any one of these comparisons and/or an adversedrug interaction. Alternatively, the management computer 115 may performthe verification step by having the bedside terminal 150 transmit theinformation read from the RFID tags 20 to the management computer 115.

In step 850, the bedside terminal 150 indicates to the healthcare workerwhether to proceed with administration of the medical products based onthe above verification, e.g., by transmitting a “go/no go” signal to thehealthcare worker. The “go/no go” signal may be transmitted to thehealthcare worker using a variety of output devices, including LCDdisplays, LEDs, and the like. For example, the go signal may be a greenlight emitted from a light indicator and the “no go” signal may be a redlight emitted from a light indicator. In addition, the “no go” signalmay be a buzzing sound emitted from a buzzer.

When the bedside terminal 150 indicates to the healthcare worker not toproceed with administration, the bedside terminal 150 may provide thehealthcare with the specifics of any detected mismatch via a display730, such as the identity of a medical product not to be administered tothe patient. The bedside terminal 150 may then give the healthcareworker an opportunity to correct the mismatch by repeating steps820-850. In addition, the bedside terminal 150 may transmit informationof the mismatch to the management computer 115 so that the managementcomputer 115 may include a report of the mismatch in the associatedhealthcare worker file and/or patient file. The report may includespecific information of the mismatch, including incorrect medicalproducts, incorrect dosage, and the like. The administrators of thehealthcare facility may use the report to evaluate the work performanceof the healthcare worker, including looking for any patterns inmedication errors made by the healthcare worker. The administrators mayalso pool together and evaluate the reports from different healthcareworker files to look for any system-wide pattern in medication errors atthe healthcare facility. Optionally, the healthcare worker may take theimproper or unused medical product(s) to a return bin, e.g., in theoriginal dispensing unit, to a different dispensing unit, or in aseparate return medication station, as explained further below.

When the bedside terminal 150 indicates to the healthcare worker toproceed with administration, the bedside terminal 150 may recordinformation related to the administration of the medical products to thepatient. This information may include the product names and dosages ofthe medical products administered to the patient, the date and time ofadministration and/or the identity of the healthcare workeradministering the medical products. The bedside terminal 150 maytransmit the recorded administration information to the managementcomputer 115 to be included in the associated patient file in thedatabase 120. In addition, the management computer 115 may automaticallyenter the administration information into an electronic medicationadministration record (MAR) associated with the patient, which may bestored in the database 120. This has the advantage of not relying on thehealthcare worker administering the medical products to the patient torecord manually the administration of the medical products in a MAR,which may be prone to human error. In addition, this has the advantageof providing up-to-the-minute updates to the MAR and standardizing thedocumentation in the MAR. The management computer 115 may also enter theadministration information into the billing record of the patient inorder to bill the patient's insurer for the medical productsadministered to the patient. This may help ensure that the patient'sinsurer is timely billed for only those medical products actuallyadministered to the patient.

In one embodiment, the bedside terminal 150 may include an input device720, e.g., a keypad or touch screen, to enable a healthcare worker toenter observations of the patient into the bedside terminal, such as thecondition of the patient at time of administration of the medicalproducts and the like. The bedside terminal 150 may then transmit theseobservations to the management computer 115 to be included in thepatient file and/or MAR associated with the patient.

In another embodiment, after the healthcare worker has completed around, the healthcare worker may indicate to the management computer 115that he or she has completed the round, e.g., via a checkout terminal(not shown) linked to the management computer 115. The managementcomputer 115 may then verify that the healthcare worker has administeredall of the medical products to the patients assigned to him or her inthat round. The management computer 115 may do this by comparing themedical products that the healthcare worker removed from the dispensingunit with the medical products administered to the patients assigned tohim or her in the round. If the management detects a mismatch, then themanagement computer 115 may immediately notify the healthcare worker ofthe detected mismatch via a terminal linked to the management computer115. This may occur, for example, if the healthcare worker becomesdistracted by an emergency during the round and forgets to administermedical products to one or more of his or her patients. The notificationmay include specific information of the mismatch, such as the identityof any medical products that were removed from the dispensing unit butnot administered to the intended patient.

In many cases, it is critical that medical products are administered toa patient within a period of time after they are removed from thedispensing unit 410. For example, certain medical products, e.g.,chemotherapy drugs, quickly loss their potency when placed in an aqueoussolution. To address this, the management computer 115 according to anembodiment may monitor the time period between the time that a medicalproduct is removed from the dispensing unit 410 and the time that themedical product is administered to a patient. In this embodiment, when amedical product is removed from the dispensing unit, the dispensingterminal 140 may record the time that the medical product is removedfrom the dispensing unit 410 and transmit the recorded time to themanagement computer 115. When the healthcare worker, e.g., nurse, isready to administer the medical product to the intended patient at thepatient's bedside, the bedside terminal 150 may consult with themanagement computer 115 whether to proceed with the administration. Thismay be done, e.g., by having the bedside terminal 150 transmit medicalproduct information read from the RFID tags 20 to the managementcomputer 115. The management computer 115 may then retrieve the recordedtime that the medical products were removed from the dispensing unit 410using the received medical product information. The management computer115 may then compute the time difference between the time ofadministration and the time that the medical product were removed fromthe dispensing unit 150. If the time difference exceeds a predeterminedtime limit for administering the medical product to the patient, thenthe management computer 115 may notify the bedside terminal 150 not toproceed with the administration of the medical product. Thepredetermined time limit may be based on a limited stability of thepotency of the medical product.

When the time limit for administering a medical product is exceeded, thehealthcare worker may contact a physician or pharmacist, e.g., via aphone, to make a judgement call on whether to administer the medicalproduct to the patient. In this embodiment, the physician or pharmacistmay view the time difference between administration and removal of themedical products from the dispensing unit 410 on a terminal, e.g., apersonal computer, linked to the management computer 115. If thephysician or pharmacist determines that it is acceptable to administerthe medical product, then he or she may transmit an override command tothe management computer 115 to allow the healthcare worker to proceedwith administering the medical product to the patient.

If a decision is made not deliver a medical product to a patient, theunused medical product may be taken to a return bin of a dispensingunit, e.g., the unit from which it was originally removed, anotherunits, or a special medication station for returned medical products.The RFID tags of the medical products in the return bin (or in theentire dispensing unit) may be read before and after the medical product(or products) is (are) placed in the return bin. A difference betweenthe readings of the RFID tags taken before and after the medical productis returned to the dispensing unit may be used to identify the medicalproduct returned to the dispensing unit. In addition, the processor ofthe dispensing unit may identify a patient intended to receive thereturned medical product, and a notice may be sent, e.g., to thepharmacy, the patient's doctor, a facility administrator, and the like,that the intended patient did not receive the returned medical product.Thus, if the failure to deliver the medical product was mistaken, actionmay be taken to correct the mistake. If the medical product was notdelivered, and it is confirmed that delivery should not be resumed, anyadministrative action that had been taken assuming that the medicalproduct was being delivered may be adjusted. Thus, the patient's record,billing, and the like may be corrected to accurately indicate themedical products that were actually delivered to the patient.

In addition or alternatively, the processor may transfer an inventory ofreturned medical products via a communications link to a centraldatabase, e.g., maintained by the facility's management computer. Forexample, if a particular medical product is missing, all of the returnbins in the facility may be inventoried or searched to determine whetherthe medical product has been returned to a return bin in one of thedispensing units. Thus, the location and status of virtually all of themedical products in the facility may be tracked.

Therefore, the invention provides a closed-loop system for tracking andmonitoring medical products within a healthcare facility, from the timethat the medical products are received by the pharmacy to the time thatthey are administered to patients. The system of the invention providesup-to-the-minute inventories of the medical products in the pharmacy andmedication-dispensing units of the healthcare facility. In addition, thesystem tracks the delivery of medical products from the pharmacy to themedication-dispensing units placed throughout the healthcare facility byverifying that the dispensing units receive medical products withdrawnfrom the pharmacy. Furthermore, the system monitors the removal ofmedical products from the dispensing units by verifying that healthcareworkers only remove those medical products to be administered topatients assigned to the healthcare workers. The system also tracks thedelivery of medical products from the dispensing unit to patients byverifying that healthcare workers administer all of the medical productsremoved from the dispensing unit to the intended patients. The systemalso monitors the administration of the medical products to patients byverifying that the patients receive the correct medical products beforeadministration, thereby reducing the risk of adverse drug events. Inaddition, the system reduces the risk of lost or stolen medical productsby immediately notifying healthcare workers and/or administrators of anymissing medical products so that they may take appropriate action torecover and/or investigate the missing medical products.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications, andalternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in thedrawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the invention is not to be limited to the particular formsor methods disclosed, but to the contrary, the invention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the appended Claims.

1. A system for tracking and monitoring medical products within ahealthcare facility for medical products received by a pharmacy of thefacility to administration to patients including inventory of medicalproducts in medication dispensing units of the healthcare facility, andfor verifying receipt of medical products in the dispensing units,monitoring removal thereof and tracking delivery of medical productsfrom dispensing units to patients, and for verifying that patientsreceive correct medical products before administration comprising apharmacy terminal for receiving product information and RFID taginformation of medical products in the pharmacy, a management computerfor receiving product information read from RFID tags of the medicalproducts from the pharmacy terminal, and for comparing information ofthe medical products shipped to the healthcare facility with theinformation received from the pharmacy terminal to verify that themedical products were received by the pharmacy, a plurality ofmedication dispensing units for receiving medical products to bedispensed to patients, and each including a medication dispensingterminal, each dispensing unit including at least one storage drawer forstoring medical products therein, each dispensing terminal being capableof reading RFID tags of medical products inside the dispensing unitbefore the dispensing unit receives medical products from the pharmacyand reading RFID tags inside the dispensing unit after medical productsare placed therein for determining the difference in RFID tag readingsbefore and after the medical products are disposed in the dispensingunit, each dispensing terminal being capable of communicating with themanagement computer for detecting a mismatch between the medicalproducts received by the dispensing unit and medical products withdrawnfrom the pharmacy, and a patient room terminal for communicating withthe management computer and including an RF reader for verifying thepatient to receive medical products and comparing medical productinformation read from RFID tags with information of medical products tobe administered to the patient, and for detecting a mismatch.
 2. Asystem as in claim 1 wherein at least one medication dispensing unitincludes a movable medication cart.
 3. A system as in claim 1 includingan RF reader near a doorway of the healthcare facility for reading RFIDtags as medical products are removed from the pharmacy.
 4. A system asin claim 1 including an RF reader mounted near a doorway for readingRFID tags of medical products prior to administration to patients.
 5. Asystem as in claim 1 wherein the storage drawers are lockable and atleast some of the drawers include plural compartments for receivingmedical products.
 6. A system as in claim 1 wherein in medicationdispensing terminal can detect unauthorized removal of medical productsfrom the unit to notify an administrator of the healthcare facility of amismatch.
 7. A system as in claim 1 wherein the patient room terminalcomprises an RF reader pad in a patient's room for reading RFID tags ofmedical products to be dispensed to patients.
 8. A system for ahealthcare facility for tracking and monitoring medical productsreceived by the facility for ultimate administration to patients andincluding medication dispensing units for containing medical products,and for verifying receipt of medical products by the dispensing units aswell as monitoring removal thereof to track delivery of medical productscomprising a terminal for receiving product information and RFID taginformation of medical products received at the facility, a managementcomputer for receiving product information read from RFID tags ofmedical products from the terminal, a plurality of medication dispensingunits for receiving medical products to be dispensed to patients, and atleast one RF reader mounted near a doorway of the healthcare facilityfor automatically reading RFID tags of medical products as they aremoved within the facility.
 9. A system as in claim 8 wherein the RFreader is located near a patient's room for automatically reading RFIDtags of medical products as a healthcare worker moves medical productsto the patient room.
 10. A system as in claim 8 wherein the terminal isin a pharmacy of the facility and the RF reader is located near thepharmacy.
 11. A system for a healthcare facility for tracking andmonitoring medical products received by the facility for ultimateadministration to patient and including medication dispensing units forcontaining medical products, and for verifying receipt of medicalproducts by the dispensing units as well as monitoring removal thereofto track delivery of medical products comprising a terminal forreceiving product information and RFID tag information of medicalproducts received at the facility, a management computer for receivingproduct information read from RFID tags of medical products from theterminal, a plurality of medication dispensing units for receivingmedical products to be dispensed to patients, and at least one RF readermounted near a doorway of a patient's room of the healthcare facilityfor automatically reading RFID tags of medical products as they aremoved to the patient's room.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein thecasing is a dispensing unit which automatically opens the drawerscontaining medical products to be removed via a healthcare workeraccessing the dispensing unit.